


The Iron Angel

by kuviraslasagna



Series: The Iron Angel [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:40:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28643859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuviraslasagna/pseuds/kuviraslasagna
Summary: Kuvira Beifong is the terrifying and mysterious captain of the Iron Angel, a ship notorious for it's brutality, as well as the leader of one of the most infamously deadly crews in the world. Korra is a refugee running from her past, fate steering her to join the crew of the Angel. Most people who come across Captain Kuvira would typically worry about their own safety, but Korra thinks there's more to the Captain, maybe she's not as brutal and heartless as the tales would have her believe. Or maybe she's much, much worse.
Relationships: Korra/Kuvira (Avatar), Lin Beifong/Kya II
Series: The Iron Angel [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2196159
Comments: 35
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I finally got around to finishing and publishing my korvira pirate au! I am very new to writing so things like dialogue and descriptions will probably be written weird, but I'm learning and it'll definitely improve. If you have any critiques or comments please feel free to tell me, I want to make sure this story turns out as good as possible, and I will absolutely accept help or criticism in any form. This is likely going to be a long story, and I'll eventually have a semi-consistant update schedule, but for now I'm just diving in the deep end and hoping it goes well long enough to get into a rythem and get better at writing. Anyway, enjoy chapter 1 of my Korvira pirate au! (it'll get more piratey later I promise)

Korra had always been fascinated by the ocean. As a girl, she saw the ocean as a living creature, a giant being that dances in the moonlight, but has a temper that, more often than not, brings destruction and death. Her tribe built it's entire culture around the ocean, she grew up on the water, in it, and surrounded by it, she was all too familiar with the turbulent nature of this beautiful creature. 

Korra had been forced out of her tribe at 15, and left to fend for herself in the vast, cruel world, alone. She drifted across the infinite sea, until she happened upon a small Fire Nation island, where she would spend the next 4 years of her life. The young water tribe woman would fight for her life, go hungry, sleep in trees and under houses, and beg for work for 4 long years, to little or no success. 

Until one night, an older woman, stoic in her demeanor, with grey hair and two long scars adorning her face, approached Korra about a job opportunity. She offered a crewmate position aboard a privately owned ship, preforming manual labor in exchange for food, a bed, and irregular pay. 

The young woman had been aching for years to sail the ocean once more, the sandy shores of the Fire Nation had disconnected her from her roots, and she would take any opportunity to once again live amongst that beautiful creature once more. Korra took the job, and never asked any questions. 

It's been three weeks since Korra first stepped foot on the Iron Angel, a surprisingly big and well maintained ship, and it became clear to her that it would never be a dull moment aboard the vessel. She had been immediately entranced by the macabre beauty of the ship, from its black sails to its dark brown wood, clean and well maintained for a ship that was privately owned. Korra had also noticed that this ship was very heavily armed, with 3 decks of cannons, mortars, and racks of muskets and cutlasses below the deck. 

"Never let it be said the captain doesn't care about her crew" the woman with the scars, who had since introduced herself as Lin Beifong, the right hand man to the captain, had said to Korra. 

"Who is the captain?" the young woman asked. "It's as if the earth queen herself owns this ship, given the amenities, I guess." 

This earned an amused look from Lin, although her face was incredibly hard to read, "You'll meet her in time. She’s busy plotting our course for the next month or so." 

Ever since then, Korra had still never laid eyes on the captain of the Angel, only hearing stories from the crew below deck at night. 

"I heard the captain once cleared the deck of a Man o' War by herself, with nothing but a broken bayonet," said a burly man with an eyepatch that was ruined by years of salt water. 

"Well I once saw the captain sink a galleon by ripping it apart from the inside, with nothing but her bare hands,” whispered a woman with fair skin, covered in freckles and scars earned from countless battles. 

"I've seen the captain down four bottles of rum before diving to the ocean floor to free a stuck anchor." 

"Once, the captain stole a tiny schooner from a Fire Nation fleet, only to use it to sink fifty ships and steer the vessel straight onto an island until we could pick her up." 

"The captain won a fight against the grey ghost, right? She beat him with a broken arm and a lame leg and still knocked him out cold! At least that's what I've heard,” said a younger sailor who had green eyes and a loose tuft of hair that hung on his forehead, he looked to be around Korra's age, and probably around as new to the ship as she was. 

Just then, the crew heard heavy footsteps coming from the stairs that led to the top deck. As the figure approached, the air caught in everyone's throats as they came face to face with Lin, who looked less than happy to see the crew socializing late at night. 

"Yes Bolin, that's true, except her arm wasn't broken. She had lost feeling in it on account she was shot in the shoulder minutes before the fight," Lin said dryly. “Now, all of you dogs get to your cots and sleep before I have to put you to bed myself! I am not having a gaggle of zombies running the ship tomorrow morning, get some sleep!" 

Within a minute, everyone was in their sleeping arrangements, trying their hardest to fall asleep. Korra didn't have a good feeling about this captain, she sounded like an otherworldly monster, and she just hoped she wasn't serving a spirit of some sort. 

What have you gotten yourself into? She thought as she stared up at the boards above her cot, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Eventually though, whether it was the steady rocking of the ship, or the quiet crashing of the waves against the side of the boat, she fell into a comfortable slumber. 

The next morning, Korra would find herself stuck with her usual job, scrubbing the top deck and cleaning the cannons, even though they haven't been used since she got here. She figured this is why the ship must look so immaculate, but whether or not it was worth it was a debate she would keep to herself and certainly never mention to Lin, or the captain. 

Korra had been scrubbing the deck for the past hour and a half, half zoned out and just waiting for the others to get done scrubbing so it wasn't obvious she had been rushing. She was on her hands and knees, scrubbing the area outside of the captain's personal quarters, when the door swung open and knocked over her water bucket. 

"What the fuck!" Korra exclaimed as she stood up and went to pick the bucket up, spinning around to face the person responsible. "Watch where you're going you assh-" 

Korra came face to face with a woman she had never seen before, peircing green eyes, long loosely braided black hair, dark green and black clothing, her face partly shadowed by a black tricorne hat. Questions of who this woman was danced momentarily in Korra's mind, until she realized whom the door that was swung open belonged to. 

The captain. 

oh fuck

"Excuse me?" The captain said, in a deep, smooth voice, that commanded Korra's attention, and an answer. 

"I'm so- I- sorry- I thought- ma'am, uh, I was cleaning the... the deck and-" 

In a split second, Korra was slammed against the deck with a loud thud, that caught the attention of everyone around them. Once her world stopped spinning, Korra realized she was being held down by something strong, and realized the captain was pinning her against the floor, with a hand on her shoulder and the other holding a small blade to her neck. The captain got closer to Korra's ear, her hot breath making the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. 

"If you ever speak to me like that again, I won't hesitate to lock you in the brig for a week. I'll have you eating the rats, and drinking the sea water that soaks into the hull of the ship. Do you understand?" she breathed into Korra's ear.

All Korra could respond with was a small squeak of pain, as she realized the captain had her knee digging into her stomach. 

The captain brought her head back just enough to stare Korra in the eyes, a final unspoken warning about stepping out of line again. She finally moved off of the young woman, sheathed her dagger, and looked around at her crew, that had been watching the whole thing go down. 

"What the hell are you lot looking at? Get back to work!" she barked, and the crew immediately obeyed, going back to their tasks with newfound fervor. 

The captain shot one more look at Korra, who had just managed to prop herself up on her elbows, and made her way to the upper deck. Slowly, Korra stood up and brushed herself off, she was hoping nobody was looking in her direction, because it was painfully obvious that her cheeks were flushed. 

Great Korra, you almost got yourself killed and it's not even lunchtime yet, that has to be a new record, she thought to herself dryly. 

As she grabbed her brush, and began scrubbing the deck yet again, she thought about the captain. If it took a hot temper to get on the captain's bad side, she knew she wasn't going to last long on this ship. She hoped that that would be the last time she would have to be around the captain for a while. Korra had beaten men twice her size in fights at the tavern back in the small Fire Nation town she was living in, and would often take them on with nothing but her bare hands. 

She had never lost a single fight in the four years she lived in that town. 

The captain though, scared and intrigued her like nothing else. 

The captain made her way to the quarter deck, she was going to check their heading and steer the ship accordingly. Besides, Lin had been bugging her for days to get some fresh air, no better excuse than this. 

Lin met her on the top deck, looking mildly irrated and disappointed. What else is new, the young captain thought to herself. 

"What was that commotion I heard on the main deck? Did you get into it with another crewmate?" Lin asked, clearly not wanting to deal with a moody 20 year old and her embarrassingly short temper. 

"It's that girl, the new one from the Fire Nation, I told you picking up some hothead fresh off a bar fight was a bad idea, Lin,” the captain responded coldly. 

Lin snorted, "She showed promise, she fought well. What's the problem with getting help from someone who can take down 6 men with her bare hands, drunk as a beaver skunk?" 

"I don't need drunk bar fighters running my ship. I need competent combatants who are worth a damn in a real fight, not some inebriated throw-down in a shaggy little tavern." 

"She's smart, Kuvira. You saw her, she's built, sure, but she was still half the size of these men. It takes a skilled fighter, with real experience and a creative mind, to take on a challenge like that. Just imagine how well she can fight when she's not drunk off her ass." 

Kuvira gave Lin a sideways glance that expressed her skepticism, but decided not to push it further before it turned into a full blown argument. She took the wheel of her ship, and glancing down at her compass a few times, spun it 2 times clockwise and holding it there while the ship made it's turn. 

"Did she start a fight with you, or did you rustle her up like you've done with the others in the past?" Lin asked over Kuvira's shoulder, obviously not yet ready to let this go. 

"No, I knocked over her water bucket with my door on accident, and it pissed her off before she realized who she was getting upset with,” Kuvira responded in a tone that suggested she knew she was in the wrong, which took Lin by immediate surprise. 

"Wow, what the hell made you so humble?" 

"Fuck you,” was all Kuvira shot back. "I made it clear to her that she won't speak to me in such a way ever again, and she seemed to understand the message." 

Lin shot a look over at Kuvira, one that the captain wasn't able to decipher right away, but didn't spend any time worrying about. 

"Kuvira, you need friends, maybe you should consider being nice to some of the crewmates, especially the ones your age. Maybe you wouldn't be cooped up in your chamber all the time." 

"You treat me like a 5 year old." 

"Because you act like one." 

"Excuse me, I don't need you setting up playdates with me, and I have friends." 

"Like who?" Lin inquired. 

"Well... there's..." 

"Exactly." 

"No, shut up, what about... oh! What about Sato?" 

Lin shot Kuvira an unimpressed look. "Really? Sato? Last I checked you're not so much friends as you are friends with benef-" 

"Okay, okay, shut up!" Kuvira yelled over Lin's teasing statement, "You are grossly misinterpreting Asami's relationship with me, it's purely professional." 

"Ah, so you admit you don't have friends, see? That wasn't so hard, kid." Lin laughed as she slapped Kuvira on the shoulder. 

"You always get so chipper at my expense, don't you?" 

"Kid, I love you, but some ego death would do you good." 

Silence settled between the two women, as they sat in quiet observation of the ship's crew, bustling around, taking care of their home. Kuvira considered them for a moment, and her eyes met the girl she had yelled at just a while ago. She was done with her chore, and now she was leaning against the railing watching the waves go by. Kuvira knew she should go down there and yell at her to get back to work, but for some reason, she didn't. 

"Fine", Kuvira finally sighed over her shoulder, "I'll try to... talk... to the crewmates. But that doesn't mean I'll become buddies with them, I'm still their captain and they'll treat me as such." 

"That's all I ask, kid. It'll do you good to socialize a bit." Lin chuckled, "You should hear some of the stories they tell about you. You're a fearsome fighter, one of the best I've ever seen, but the way they describe you in some of these tales-" Lin laughed as she gave Kuvira another slap on the shoulder. 

"I can't wait to hear them,” Kuvira said through gritted teeth.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey yall, sorry for the super late update, work has been hectic lately but I was finally able to finish writing:) hope yall enjoy!

The chanting and yelling from her crewmates filled Korra's ears, she felt their roar rattle her bones, and their restless movement shake the boards beneath her. Sweat dripped down her face, rolling over her brow, the salt stinging her eyes rendering them useless. No matter, she didn't need them anyway. Her muscles screamed, and a dull pain burned in her arm, but she wasn't about to give up, not after the streak she's had. 

The thunderous commotion of her crewmates cheers, sneers, and incomprehensible yelling seemed to reach a peak. One final push, and it would all be over. Korra let out a final roar of effort, then... 

WHAM

Suddenly, a pregnant pause, a silence that lasted less than a second. Less than a second to let the sound of impact settle within everybody's heads. Less than a second for everyone to behold the sight of yet another defeated opponent. And once that split second was over, thunder filled the lower decks once more, even more energetic and ear shattering than before. 

Korra stood from the table triumphantly, and joined in on the commotion, with her fists held high in the air. She smiled and sank into the crowd, returning friendly slugs on her shoulders, and pats on the back. A voice rang out above the commotion. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, the still undefeated champion of the unofficial 'Iron Angel Arm Wrestling League': KORRA!” Bolin yelled above the commotion. At this, the crowd of pirates cheered once again, giving the young woman shoves and pats once more. 

The crowd started to disperse, the newly defeated man slumping off by himself just like the others. He had made the mistake of underestimating Korra, a mistake that resulted in a lesson he won't soon forget. Korra made her way over to Bolin, who was collecting bet money, but mainly items, from the crewmates who bet on the other man. 

"You're so theatrical, it was just arm wrestling,” Korra chuckled as she went to help count what Bolin collected. 

"You've beaten 9 different crewmates at arm wrestling just tonight, all of them like, twice your size may I add. You're just passively a badass, and I need to match that with my ability to captivate a crowd with charisma and theatrical skill,” Bolin said, striking a pose. 

Korra let out a groan. "You're passively insufferable, so I need to match that by being likeable so you don't get singled out and picked on by the crew or something." 

"Are- Do you even see my muscles? I'd like to see someone try to give me a hard time when I'm packing this much punishment,” Bolin flexed his arms and threw a couple punches at the air. Yes, he was muscular alright, but he was a bit goofy, so it was no wonder to Korra, or anybody else for that matter, that he wasn't taken seriously by anybody on the ship. 

As he threw a few practice punches and continued to talk about his big muscles and how fearsome he was, someone came up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. This made Bolin cry out, practically jumping into Korra's arms. 

"Mako! What the hell man! Didn't you see me practicing my punches? I could have seriously hurt you if I wasn't so controlled!" 

"Bolin, can I have one day where you're not acting like the court jester and actually helping me with my chores? Last thing I want is for Lin to get on my ass for not having the cannon barrels cleaned again,” Mako said in a monotone voice. His brother had always been annoying as all hell, and as much as he loved him, Bolin had a tendency to be more trouble than good. 

"You two seem to have much to... discuss... I guess. So I'm just gonna... go... read a book,” Korra said, much more awkwardly than she had intended. She had no problem beating the teeth out of someone who wanted to cause problems, nor did she find any issue solving a dispute between crewmates with non-violent means, but a conflict between siblings? She knew better than to get between two brothers who were about to start arguing. That was an issue that only they could solve amongst themselves. 

"Did you finally start reading that novel I gave you?" Mako asked before Korra could slip away. 

"I just got done with the first chapter! It’s not bad so far, but I'm not sure I'm following what it's supposed to be about." 

"It’s about men from the moon, like, moon men. Men who live on the moon. It’s supposed to be scary, just give it a few more chapters and I promise you won't be able to sleep for weeks,” Mako said with a devious grin. 

Korra wasn't interested in the horror aspect of the book, as strange and captivating as it sounded. When she had asked Mako for a book to read, already having read the few that Bolin had on him, he mentioned one about the moon. Korra wanted to read anything at all about the moon, and since she didn't have much other choice, she would settle on the book about the "moon men.” 

She wished she could read the stories her mother would tell her of the moon. The brave Princess Yue, who made the ultimate sacrifice, and took the moon's place in the night sky so the world could remain in balance. Of course, she was missing details of the story, so it wouldn't make too much sense if she told it to somebody else. 

If only she could talk to her mother one last time. 

Korra walked past some of her crewmates on the way to her cot, accepting their congratulations and responding with thanks. She laid down on her cot, stretching out her arms, and letting them rest on her abdomen. She thought of the arm wrestling match, she thought of her new friends aboard the ship, she thought of the moon, and Princess Yue. She closed her eyes and reminisced about her mother reading her the story of the moon before tucking her into bed. 

\------------------------------- 

Another sleepless night. Kuvira sat up in her bed, sweat beading on her skin and dampening her clothes. Her hair stuck to her face and chest, which was rising and falling in an erratically. She might have gotten 30 minutes of sleep, and she knew that's all she would be getting tonight. Her nightmares were only getting worse. 

The captain got out of her bed and began changing into some light clothing; an undershirt, brown tunic, black pants and boots. She would take care of as many things as possible before the crew got up, just like every other morning. 

This was the only thing that kept Lin from dragging Kuvira out of her quarters by her ankles. She might be reclusive, but she got her job done. Well, the part of her job that didn't require her to command her ship. 

Kuvira opened the door to her quarters, and let the salty air flood her senses. She sighed, she knew this habit was wrong, and that she should be more active with her crew, but most days she couldn't bring herself to go out and interact with them. 

"What's wrong with me?" Kuvira wondered to herself, as she began to inspect the cannons on the top deck, the ones more susceptible to rust and corrosion. This was the bulk of what she would do, inspect things. If any other captain on the sea could see her now, they'd think her pathetic, a failed leader. 

She knew she was. 

She knew this beautiful ship, and her loyal crew, had been wasted on a captain that barely had the mental energy to stand on the top deck and spin a wheel. 

This had to change, she knew she should take her aunt's advice, and try to conversate with her crew. The idea baffled her. Sure, the crew was loyal, and in most cases kind, but all she had ever known was to bark orders, not mingle with them. Maybe it's time for a drastic change, if she wasn't willing to try, then she wasn't deserving of anything she had. 

Standing at the bow of her ship, she couldn't help but let her pride take over for a second. A smile crept onto her face, it was hers, the ship, the crew, these cannons, the sails, the damn ocean. It was all hers. She knew though that she would have to earn it, and she would do so by being the captain of the Iron Angel. For the first time in a long time. 

\------------------------------- 

"There are 124 cannons in total on this ship, 3 decks packed to the brim with firepower. We are in the most dangerous ship in the world and you still insist on staying on your cot all day, cowering in fear." 

Korra had woken up and started reading her book in bed, seeing as she still had an hour or so before she had to get to her chores. Instead of reading her book though, she was eavesdropping on the conversation behind her. An older woman and a younger boy had been debating the safety of the ship, with the teenager insisting on a constant danger of being a large target, and the woman scoffing at the insinuation of a "bigger fish.” Korra had to admit, even though she knew eventually they'd come across some not-so-friendly ships, she wasn't the least bit concerned about being sunk. When she first laid eyes on the Iron Angel, she must have been half a kilometer away from it, but it dwarfed every single ship in the fire nation harbor, even the battleships she once thought were gargantuan. They looked like children's toys compared to the behemoth they sailed on now. 

The Iron Angel was a Man o' War, a rare type of ship that was unmatched in its size and firepower. A frigate was the second biggest ship on the water, and it was still twice as small as the Man o' War. Korra wondered where the captain got a ship this size, she certainly wasn't going to ask, lest she wanted to risk getting dropped on her ass in front of the whole crew again. It couldn't have been bought, there wasn't enough money in the world to buy a ship like this, especially since it was common knowledge that buying a frigate was enough to break the bank for even the wealthiest of merchants. It was likely stolen, but from whom? She didn't need to know the answer to that, but it did concern her that maybe the previous owner would be hunting the Angel down. 

To her knowledge, there were only a handful of Man o' War ships on the water, the others being war ships in the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom fleets. Luckily they aren't common, due to them being expensive to maintain, from crew to cannons, hull maintenance to sail repair and so on. This brought up yet another interesting question in Korra's mind; where was Kuvira getting her money? 

After sitting on the question for a bit, Korra returned to her book with a shrug. It wasn't worth wasting her time so early in the morning pondering the means in which the captain obtained the ship. She was just thankful that most other ships on the water would be too afraid to mess with them, she wasn't exactly as giddy as the others to fight a battle on the open seas. 

Korra did accept the fact that eventually, she would have to fight, but she wasn't all too worried. She knew she was an excellent fighter, and even though she had never fought with a sword, she could hold her own long enough for the other crewmates to jump in with her. 

Hopefully the day she would have to fight for the Iron Angel, and for her life, wasn't for a long time. 

\------------------------------- 

Kuvira's day consisted of walking around the ship and making sure everyone was doing their jobs, which was what Lin suggested, knowing that the captain wouldn't be able to jump into actually conversing with her crew immediately, as it wasn't something she was used to. It would be a slow process, but spirits be damned if she wouldn't make the effort to better lead her crew and earn her place as captain. 

This task, as boring as it would seem, actually pleased Kuvira. She didn't mind seeing the process in which the ship was maintained— it would be beneficial for her to know how to do any job on the ship in case of emergency. The captain considered herself incredibly detail oriented, so it was no bother to her to make sure the decks were scrubbed, the cannons cleaned, the sails repaired, and the ammunition stocked and sorted. 

Many other captains would look down on involving themselves so closely with their crew and their tasks, but Kuvira took pride in her people, and would make sure her ship reflected the effort her crew gave to maintaining it. At least, that's what she would work towards. 

She walked for around an hour, making rounds on the main and lower deck, before making her way to the hold. She would make sure that their foodstuffs and extra supplies were sorted and stored efficiently, and make note on whatever they needed to restock. 

As she made her way down the last staircase to the lowest deck, she heard laughter and multiple voices. 

"Please shut the fuck up, Bolin, I'm begging you! You’re somehow making yourself look like even more of a fool than usual," Mako groaned as Korra tried to catch her breath in the middle of her fit of laughter.

"I'm being serious! It really did talk to me! I mean, I couldn't really hear all it said due to it being in a barrel of water but the fish was speaking! Human words!" Bolin exclaimed. 

Korra was doubled over, laughing so hard she hardly made a noise.

"Spirits, I wish I were there to see it. If you ever find cactus juice again, please come get me before you drink it. I'd love the free entertainment,” Korra said as she caught her breath.

As Korra's laughing subsided, the group slowly became aware of heavy footsteps making their way to them from the other end of the hold. 

All was silent as Kuvira glared at them with her piercing green eyes. 

"I think you all have a job to be doing, yes?" the captain growled in a low tone. Her voice rattled the bones of the three crewmates. 

After a long moment of silence, Korra spoke up in a rather defiant tone, challenging the woman at hand. “We've already finished our chores. Everything down here is organized, captain." 

Kuvira took a slow look around, and sure enough, it seemed like everything was in order. Something inside of her though, didn't want to drop it that easily. 

"If you can find time to mingle, you can work on other things. Don’t let me see you standing around doing nothing when there's plenty of other tasks to do." 

Kuvira left it at that, and turned to leave. 

"That's bullshit coming from her,” Korra mumbled under her breath. 

Unfortunately for her, it wasn't as quiet as she thought. 

Kuvira immediately turned on her heels and stormed to Korra, who could barely react as she was grabbed by her shirt and slammed against the crates behind her. 

"You want to run that by me again?" Kuvira spit. 

Korra was absolutely horrified, but her pride replaced her sense of self preservation. She sharpened her gaze into the captain's eyes, and gritted her teeth. 

"I said, it's pretty fucking hypocritical of you to tell us we aren't working enough, when all you do is sit in your chamber doing absolutely nothing!”

Kuvira's eyes widened, and she struggled to find her words. She gritted her teeth, and tightened her hold on Korra's shirt. 

Korra had since come down from her adrenaline high, and now was starting to realize she dug herself into a very deep hole. 

After what felt like hours, but was probably just seconds, Kuvira slowly let go of Korra's shirt, and her eyes drifted to the floor. She hung her head, and said through gritted teeth, "Just get back to work." 

The captain stormed off without another word, leaving the trio speechless. 

Mako turned to Korra, who looked like she had just seen a ghost. 

"Korra, you okay?" He asked quietly. 

After a few seconds, Korra found her voice. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine,” she mumbled distantly. 

"That was one of the coolest, and most terrifying things I've ever seen" Bolin squeaked as he gaped at Korra. “How do you feel?" 

"I think I need to go lie down,” Korra said before wandering off. 

She had fought people three times her size, fended for herself in a town that hated her, and dove headfirst into countless dangerous situations without batting an eye, but nothing had ever shaken her up as much as Kuvira. She had now stared death in the face twice, and lived, and she prayed she'd never come across her again. If the stories she heard about the captain are true, the fact that Korra still had her head on her shoulders was nothing short of a miracle.

She hoped this wouldn't come back to bite her anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a slower chapter I know, next chapter will pick up the pace and really set the story in motion, the last two chapters were me kinda testing the water and world building, but chapter three will be out much sooner!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody! I'm going to preface this chapter by warning yall, it gets explicitly violent here. From here on out I won't really warn yall about it, it's just how the story will be, but I feel I should warn you now since the last two chapters have been pretty tame. I hope you enjoy!

The sound of splintering wood and the thunder of cannonfire rattled the Iron Angel in the early hours of the morning. Korra was hard at work below the deck loading and reloading cannons, covering her ears every time they fired. This is the first time she had seen combat since joining the Angel. 

From what Korra was able to gather in the madness she awoke to, a pirate ship had inexplicably opened fire on them while everyone was still asleep. Luckily, the tides were high enough that the majority of the shots didn't damage the hull too much, just enough to elicit a panicked retaliation. 

Korra could hear commands being shouted above her, on the main deck. She could tell it was Kuvira, her voice was distinct, a smooth deep timbre, yet strong and commanding.

Korra's mind snapped back to attention as one of the cannon crews near her got hit by a round from the other ship. They were blown apart by the blast, sending shards of wood, metal, and man in all directions. The ship's healer, an older water tribe woman, ran to one of the men to treat him, seeing as he was the only one still moving. After Korra's ears stopped ringing, she was able to pry her eyes from the gruesome scene.

From the shouts around her, Korra could every now and then hear status updates from the top deck. She wiped her brow, slick with sweat and gunpowder, as she went to load another round into the cannon. After almost an hour of constant bombardment, they were given the order to cease fire. This meant they would soon be boarding.

The lower deck crew made their way up top, grabbing their swords from their quarters on the way up. Korra didn't have a sword of her own, but she knew better than to disobey orders, so she made her way up top unarmed. 

Korra's eyes adjusted to the sunlight quickly, as smoke bellowed from the opposing ship, blocking out the light of day. The smell of burning wood and salty air assaulted her senses, nothing she wasn't used to, but definitely not a comforting combination. She looked around the deck as the crew began roping the other ship in.

The deck of the Angel was relatively intact, some damage to the starboard cannons, which wasn't surprising given they were the ones facing the enemy. As Korra focused more on the starboard, she saw more death. Crewmates who were cheering her on just days before, now lay dead at their posts. The healer was doing her best to save some of them, but for many not much could be done.

To Korra's surprise, she saw the Captain assisting the healer, obviously she didn't seem as qualified, but she followed the older woman's instructions and did the best she could. Maybe Kuvira did give a damn.

Someone tapped Korra's shoulder, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the young woman. 

"Bolin! You scared me! How are you? Is your brother okay?" 

"I'm fine, and Mako's fine too, we were up top when the other ship opened fire so we manned a cannon near the bow." 

Korra pulled him into a hug, "I'm glad you're okay Bolin."

"It's gonna take more than a literal barrage of cannonfire to kill the mighty Bolin," he responded with a half-hearted chuckle.

Korra could tell Bolin was shaken up, there was a distant tone in his voice. She wouldn't doubt this is the first time he'd seen combat too, and it looked like he wasn't faring as well as she was. It was heartbreaking to see Bolin, who is such an energetic, happy, goofy person, so rattled.

The crew suddenly started quieting down, as the other ship got roped in closer. Other sailors on the deck fired onto the ship below with muskets, trying to soften the enemy up before they had to board. Korra looked around to see what happened to cause such a reaction from everyone. 

Kuvira sat on her knees, next to the crewmate she was treating. Her head hung low, and her hands lay palms up on her thighs. Her hands were covered in blood, blood from the now dead man. 

The Captain rose to her feet slowly, grabbing her hat and placing it on her head. She exchanged a look of sorrow with the healer, and turned just in time to see Lin approach.

The older woman stepped up to the captain, who dropped her gaze as Lin got closer. Korra understood that look, she was afraid to look Lin in the eye, but for what reason she didn't know.

Lin grabbed Kuvira by her coat and whispered something in her ear, by the sounds of it, it almost sounded like Lin was angry at her. Korra only heard two words from the exchange.

"Earn it."

Lin then dropped her grasp from Kuvira's coat, and backed away, glaring at Kuvira. The Captain stared back. Some final unspoken words were exchanged, and Kuvira looked away, at her crew. At one point, she stared at Korra. No anger, no malice, almost an apologetic look, then she turned away to climb onto the railing of the Angel.

The crew that gathered around her stayed mostly silent, all looked to Kuvira with unreadable expressions on their faces. Korra figured she must have been gone much longer than she thought, and the crew certainly had mixed feelings.

Kuvira did what Korra had seen the warriors from her tribe do before battle. She disconnected herself from her morality, her humanity. She steeled her face, not letting it betray any emotion. Her eyes glossed over, and Kuvira was ready to kill.

She pulled her sword from its sheath, just as the other ship made contact with the side of the Angel. It was time to board.

Korra stood in the middle of a large mass of people, only now realizing what she was about to do. She looked around for a second, hoping somebody would see her and give her a weapon, but no such luck. The crew was making their way towards the railing, herding Korra and Bolin along with them.

The bell from the crow's nest rang suddenly, and triggered an uproar from the rest of the crew, who was now scrambling to hop the railing. People grabbed ropes, climbed down the side of the ship, and some just leapt off. Soon, it was Korra's turn.

"Be careful down there, Blue." Bolin said to Korra, before descending on a rope.

Time was moving too fast now, was Korra the last one to go over? Was she ready to fight for a Captain who she was sure hated her? To die for a crew that would never remember her name? Would she have to live with more blood on her hands? 

There was no choice. It was kill or be killed, no matter which way she cut it. Korra climbed to the railing, grabbed a rope, and swung down to the deck below. 

\------------------------------------------------------------

When Korra landed on the enemy ship, her senses were immediately assaulted. Her ears pounded with the sound of chaos and murder from every direction, shouts of fury and screams of terror. Smoke from unseen fires stung her eyes, and blocked out so much of the gruesome scene before her, she was almost grateful. Suddenly, she heard something clearer to her left.

THUD

A body fell beside her, making her jump back a bit. It was one of the men from her ship, she recognized him. Spirits. He was just in the arm wrestling competition the other night. He was just there.

His sword lay on the ground next to him, Korra noticed. She remembered her predicament, the sounds from around her came back in an instant, and her instincts took over. 

Korra grabbed the sword, saying a quiet apology to the man. When she stood, she noticed the scared boy from the ship, the one that slept near her cot, was being cornered by a larger man. Without thinking, she sprinted towards the two.

"Where'd yer friends go little bug? Who're you gonna hide behind now?", the man asked in a low, rumbling voice. He ignored the pleas from the kid, and raised his sword above his head.

"Pick on someone your own size, you fucking bastard!" Korra called from behind him.

The man slowly relaxed his arms, and turned to see who interrupted him. Korra stood, sword in both hands in front of her, ready for him to make a move. He smiled one last time, his rotting yellow teeth on full display.

Without warning, he turned back to the kid and brought his sword back for a thrust. Korra immediately moved, closing the gap between her and the man, and without thinking, buried her blade straight through his back.

His sword pierced into the deck just left of the boy as his body slumped forward. The kid scurried out of the way as the man fell forward, crumbling against the wall.

Korra stood there, processing what she had just done. Her face was speckled with blood, a warm, sticky sensation on her skin. A familiar feeling washed over her, and she hated it, she was disgusted with herself, and her adrenaline was the only thing that kept her from vomiting. She knew there were more people who needed help, and she was already starting down the rabbit hole.

Kuvira stood on the other end of the ship, among a spread of dead bodies, her sword out to her side dripping with blood. One last man stood in front of her, his face caked with dirt and soot. He held his sword in front of him, as he shifted from side to side. Kuvira could tell by the wild look in his eyes that he would be quick work.

From the first step he took, he was doomed. 

As the man raced forward, Kuvira adjusted her stance to compensate for his attack. In the blink of an eye, Kuvira kicked low, sweeping his leg just as it hit the ground. Then, just as he fell forward, she thrust her sword up, straight through his chest. 

Kuvira was familiar with death, killing, that much was immediately apparent to everyone who rode with her. What caught most by surprise was her efficiency, the way she could dispatch her opponents in clearly calculated moves. It was as if Kuvira played 'pai sho' with people's lives.

A few minutes of chaos passed, and as more and more died, more and more began to surrender. Victory belonged to the Angel, but Kuvira knew better than to believe it would be over that quickly.

"Enough!!!" someone screamed over the commotion, from the area of the wheel. Most everyone turned to the source of the voice, including Kuvira.

A heavy set man with graying hair, pointed his sword in the direction of Kuvira. By the way he carried himself, to the nicer clothes he wore, she could only assume he was the captain.

But he wasn't a pirate. This was a surprise to Kuvira.

"You've just made the biggest mistake of your life, girl. I'll make sure there's a price on your head so large not even the Earth Kingdom royal family can pay it off."

Kuvira closed the gap quickly, her boots thundering across the deck. Everyone was mostly silent, movement here and there from people shuffling along the deck, or looting pockets. Kuvira stood in front of the man now, staring down at him. 

"Do you hear me, girl? You're so deep in shit, they don't even make a shovel big enough to-"

Kuvira slammed her fist into his stomach. As he doubled over, she slung her arm over his shoulder and led him to the railing overlooking the deck of the ship. 

"I hope you'll excuse me captain, I don't believe we've been properly introduced," Kuvira said in a neutral tone, "my name is Kuvira, I'm the captain of the Iron Angel, but you've probably already guessed that, huh?"

She chuckled, and as the man got over his pain, her face slowly sank into a scowl, and she turned to him. 

"By the way you're not begging me for mercy on your hands and knees, I take it you haven't heard of me? That's a pity for you, I might have let you go, after you kissed my boots of course." Kuvira purred.

"Y-you're, you're going to pay for this, you bitch."

Suddenly, she grabbed him by the back of his shirt, and flung him over the railing onto the main deck below. He landed with a loud thud, a small whimper escaping his lips as he tried to catch his breath. Kuvira then meandered towards the stairs, taking her time walking down each step, her fingers gliding over the wooden railing.

"I'm going to give you a choice captain, you can surrender to me, I'll take you and your remaining men as prisoners, and I'll drop you all off at the nearest patch of land. Or, you can lay down and die, like a good little dog."

She stood over him now, as he slowly got up to his knees. This wasn't just defeat, this was embarrassment, and everyone from both sides had front row seats.

Korra stood close to the two captains, and she saw the whole thing unfold. Whatever she felt towards Kuvira now was eclipsed by a newfound admiration. Or was it intimidation? She didn't know, all she was certain of was that she had become more intrigued by the captain as time went on.

"I'm waiting for an answer, the sooner the better, I'm pretty sure we've poked hundreds of holes in this ship so it won't be long before we're sitting on the sea floor." 

A few more moments of silence followed, then, finally, the captain spoke.

"Fine. You win. I surrender myself and my crew to you, Kuvira." he grumbled, as if every word was a bandage to rip off.

The deck was silent, incredibly silent. Korra thought this would be a call for celebration, but it seemed like this battle was more bitter than sweet. Yet, it seemed everybody felt the weight of the conflict lift from their chests, as most everyone visibly looked to relax. 

Kuvira let her disgusted gaze linger on the man for just a little while longer, before she turned to walk away. Just then, the captain quickly grabbed something out of his boot. Then he lunged for Kuvira.

It was a split second, Korra saw the small blade in the man's hand, and immediately knew he was making a move while Kuvira's back was turned. Korra ran to put herself between Kuvira and her attacker, and instinctively reached for the knife, just as he brought above his head to strike.

Korra grabbed the life by the blade, and pain shot through her arm. The man's eyes widened, then narrowed as he processed this new predicament. Korra slid her hands down the knife and grabbed his wrist, still keeping his hands and the knife in place. But her blood slicked hands made it harder to hold on to his wrists, and finally she lost her grip. He took the opportunity to pull Korra forward, and put her in a headlock, holding the knife up to her throat.

Kuvira turned around just in time to see Korra get captured, and immediately made a move to free her, grabbing the hilt of her sheathed sword.

"Stay back!! Or I'll cut her neck wide open right here!!" the rival captain roared.

Korra struggled slightly against his grip, she didn't have solid footing, so there was almost no hope of getting out of his hold.

Korra managed to speak, despite the pressure on her throat.

"Captain, Kuvi-…", she croaked.

"You'll get out of this, ok? You'll be ok", Kuvira reassured Korra, in a very low, calming voice.

The man laughed, a deep, broken chuckle.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, girl. You took so many of my men, it's only fair I take one of yours."

It became immediately apparent, this man had no intention of letting Korra go. Instincts alit in Korra, and suddenly she found the strength to shake free of the man. She managed to rip free of his grip, his knife leaving a shallow cut along the side of her neck. She turned to disarm him, but she lost her footing, and he took advantage of her fumble.

He trust his knife forward blindly, hoping to catch Korra at all, as if it would save his life. 

His knife sunk deep into Korra's torso, sending a shock through the young woman's body. 

Somebody screamed, somebody yelled, lots of people ran towards her. She couldn't hear much, everything was muffled. Her vision blurred. Her fingers went numb. She saw the man tumble back, his knife still in his hands. Then she saw Kuvira, her sword raised above her head, bring the blade down on the captain. There was no rhyme or reason, she hacked away at the man even after his body hit the deck. 

Korra was on her back now. All she saw was the dark blue of the sky. 

A woman knelt down beside her, she looked familiar, but she didn't know from where. She spoke but Korra couldn't understand what she said.

Blue faded slowly into white. She heard her name yelled one last time.

KORRA!

Korra!

Korra.

\------------------------------------------------------------

"Korra. Korra, hey, it's time to wake up honey. I told you to be up before sunrise."

Korra grumbled and pulled her blanket over her head.

"But moooom", the teenage girl whined from under her bedding.

"But nothing young lady, I told you not to stay up all night, today's a big day, your father is coming back from his hunting trip. You know he'd miss you if you weren't there to greet him."

Korra groaned some more, but finally gave in and threw her covers off to the side. She made sure to make as much noise as possible getting out of her bedding, as if it was the most physically taxing thing in the world.

"There she is", Senna giggled as her daughter made a scene getting out of bed.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get my clothes together and I'll meet you out there, mom."

Korra made her way to the other side of her small room, to grab the warm clothes she was just wearing the night before. And just her luck, they were still damp from the snowball fight.

"I just don't understand what's so important about us greeting him on the shore, he'll just be home again anyway, no point in walking there and waiting."

"Korra, you know it's not that simple. Every second we spend together as a family is a gift."

Korra scoffed, "Yeah, I guess."

"Honey, he loves you, very much. He loves both of us. Imagine how much he'd love it to see his family waiting for him when he gets back. Don't take the time we all have as a family for granted. We won't be around forever."

Korra's face softened, and she let her mother's words sit in the air for a bit.

"I- I'm sorry mom, I didn't mean to make it sound like I don't care."

"No, no, of course not honey. I was your age once too, I understand. I love you sweetheart, so much. I'll be waiting for you down at the shore, ok?" 

"Ok mom."

Korra took some more time wringing out her gloves, putting on her boots, and making sure her hair was tied up. Once she got everything together, she trudged outside into the freshly fallen snow.

The young girl made her way out of the hut, and down to the shoreline, alongside her mother and the other's awaiting the arrival of husbands and wives, sisters and brothers. It was a big deal for everyone here, the hunters have been gone for weeks, of course their loved ones were aching to see them again.

A wave of guilt washed over Korra, as she thought back to her reluctance earlier, but it melted away as her mother held her hand.

"There it is! There's the boat!", someone yelled from somewhere to Korra's left. Sure enough, Korra could see a ship making its way towards the shore. It was Southern Water Tribe, her father's boat.

Korra recalled strange things from times like these, some would say it was her inability to focus, but she knew what it was really for. The most minute details were easier for her to remember than full events, and it helped her recall important moments in her life easier. 

She remembered the feeling of her mother's hand, gently grasping Korra's as they eagerly awaited her father's arrival.. She recalled her father's ship making its way to the shore, the color of it's hull, a faded white, the paint chipping due to years of wear and tear. She remembered the sting of the cold, salty winds on her face that morning, worse than how it usually felt, but she'd endure it for her family. She remembered the color of the sea that carried her father's vessel safely back home, the same sea she grew up on, the waters she knew like nobody else.

It was a deep, dark, blue.


End file.
